Power-wrench



W. F. YOUNG.

POWER WRENCH.

APPLICATION man APR.-I5. 1919.

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"1,326,627, Patented Dee. 30,1919.

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attowiq W. F. YOUNG.

POWER WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED APR. l5. |919.

1 ,326,627. Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

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WILLIAM F. YOUNG, OF BREMERTON, WASHINGTON.

POWER-WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Application led April 15, 1919. Serial No. 290,218.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. YOUNG, a citizen of the Unit-ed States, and resident of Bremerton, Kitsap county, Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Wrenches'of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices intended for such work as turning nuts upon bolts, and has been particularly designed for this sort of work where bolts are used for securing together plates, metal beams and all such constructions.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which will enable this work to be done more rapidly than it may be done by the means which are commonly in use and which involve hand labor. This device is particularly adapted for use in connection with the job which is generally referred to as bolting up in the construction of ships. My invention consists of certain novel combinations of parts which will be herein described and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in the form of construction which I now prefer to use.

Figure 1 is a side view of the device, the casing being in. section and one half of the operating parts being also in section, this section being taken upon a central or axial plane.

F ig. 2 is a top or plan view of the device with the casing in section and with a portion of the operating parts in section at one side.

The more customary way of turning up nuts upon bolts which are used for securing plates together in ship construction is to do this work by hand. In this work it is necessary that the plates be drawn tightly together .so that there will be no appreciable space between the adjacent surfaces of the plate at the time the rivets are put through. these plates and secured. In order to do this bolts are used as temporary holding members. To do this by hand is a slow and costly proceeding. The present device is intended for placing upon the nuts of such bolts and to enable the power necessary for turning these nuts up snugly to be provided by means of some form of motor.

The construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings is as follows: A worm gear 1 is mounted within a casing which mainly consists of two parts 2 and 20 which are secured together by any suitable means, for instance by the bolts 21. This worm gear has a central or axial hole and this hole, at least at one side thereof, is made of a noncircular outline as for instance'of a hexagonal or square shape. In this opening is placed the stem or shank of a socket wrench 3. The shank 30 is also hollow and of suifl cient size to permit free passage of the bolt upon which the nut to be turned is placed. The outer end of this sleeve or socket wrench is made of a shape and size to fit snugly over the nut 40 of the bolt 4. A spider or plate 45 is placed against the inner side of the worm gear 1 and is provided with a circular sleeve 46 which enters a correspondingly shaped recess in the worm gear. This recess is a continuation of the one which receives the shank of the socket wrench but is of a circular outline so as to form a bearing upon which the worm wheel turns. In order to take the thrust upon the worm wheel I provide a ball bearing ring 5 between which and the worm gear are balls 50.

At one side of the casing 2 is journaled a worm 6 which meshes with the worm gear. On one end of this Worm is mounted a bevel gear which meshes with a bevel gear 70 carried by a shaft which extends toward the center of the worm gear. At its opposite end this shaft has a second worm gear 71 thereon which meshes with a worm gear 72 carried by a shank 8, which shank is journaled in the casing 2 at a point which is substantially in alinement withthe bolt 4.

The shank 8 has its outer end adapted for engagement by any convenient'form of motor. As illustrated this end of the shank is tapered so as to enter and be frictionally engaged and turned through the medium of a socket which is carried by or connected with the motor which is used for driving the device. As the motor forms no part of my present invention I have not illustrated this. It will sufce to say that this motor may be of any convenient type which is found suitable for the purpose. Also the drive may be direct from the motor or through the medium of a flexible shaft, or other mechanism.

At one side of the casing I provide a handle 9 by which the torque or turning effect produced by the device when acting upon a nut may be held. When the device is in use this may be resisted by inserting a Cri bolt as 90 into hole in one ofthe plates as l5. The arm 9 engaging the side of this will be held against turning.

The socket wrench employed in connection with this machine may vary in construction. As illustrated this is made quite short. However, it may be provided with a shank of any suitable length and the device may thus be adapted for use in places where it could not be used with a short shank such as is shown in the drawings. This, however, is a feature which does not involve any invent-ion and has, therefore not been spccltically illustrated.

Attention is called to the tact that the worm wheel and well the spider 4.5 upon which it is journaled are provided with a central place or axial opening into which the end oil the bolt may project. lt is thus possible to turn the nut a considerable way upon the bolt, and the same time use a very short socket wrench. The socket wrench employed may be changed whenever desired, for instance to accommodate different sizes oil? nuts or to use a short or a long shank.

,in order to operate this device I prefer to employ some iorin ol portable motor, as .for instance a rotative air operated motor or an electric motor. Such a motor would be provided with a socket which could be placed over the stem 8 and forced thereon so as to grip it with suiiicient intensity to turn the apparatus. In this manner motors or this kind may be employed for turning down these nuts, and the apparatus necessary in order to give such motors the desired power is comparatively light and easily handled. The result will be a very great acceleration er" the speed at which this work may be done.

llihat l claim as my invention is:

l. A power operated nut turning device comprising a worm gear, a frame having a sleeve upon which said gear is journaled, a sleeve secured to the worin gear and forming a wrench socket, said two sleeves being alined and .adapted to receive the projecting end of a bolt, a worm journaled in the trame and i'neshing with said gear, and means Jfor applying power to turn; said worm.

2. A. nut turning device comprising a worm gear having a central hole forming a rotative bearing and a flange extending at one side concentric with said hole, a sleeve removably securable to said flange and forming a socket wrench, a casing inclosing the operating parts, a bearing sleeve entering the hole in the gear and supported from the casing, a worm journaled in the casing and meshing with said. gear, a shaft alined with the axis of the worm gear and projecting Jfrom the casing at the side opposite to the wrench and adapted to be connected with a source of power, and a transmission mechanism within the casing connecting said shaft with the worm.

3. A power operable nut turning device comprising a worin gear having a central opening adapted to accommodate the projecting end ot a bolt, the surface of said opening at one side ott the wheel serving as a rotative bearing, a sleeve forming a socket wrench and inscrtible in the other halt ot the central opening in the gear, a casing inclosing the gear, a bearing sleeve insertible in the gear opening and supported from the casing, a worm journaled in the casing and engaging the gear, a holding handle extending radially outward from the casing, and means for turning said worm.

4l. A nut turning device comprising a worm gear having a central bearing opening and a concentric side projecting sleeve having a non-circular inner shape, a sleeve forming a socket wrench and adapted to be secured in said non-circular part ot the worin opening, a casing having side bearings for the worm, a bearing sleeve entering the bearing part ot the opening in the worm wheel and supported from the casing, the inner opening of said sleeve registering with the like opening of the socket wrench to rcceive a bolt end, a worm journaled in the casing and meshing with the worm gear, and means for turning` said worm.

5. A power device for turning bolts comprising a worm and gear, the gear having an axial opening adapted to accommodate a bolt end, a tubular socket wrench adapted to enter and be removably secured in said axial opening in the gear, a casing inclosing said worm and gear and having a bearing sleeve entering said opening in the gear, a plate secured to the casing and engaging the side of the worm gear to hold it in place, a shank journaled in the casing and adapted to be connected with a driving means, and a speed reducing driving means connecting said shank with the worm.

Signed at Seattle, lashington, this 8th day of April, 1919.

l/VILLIAM F. YOUNG. 

